New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) watches from the crease as New Jersey Devils left wing Zach Parise (9) tries to gain control of the puck during the third period of Game 1 of their NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals playoff series at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Monday, May 14, 2012. The Rangers won 3-0. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

By this time next week, Wild officials likely will have spent dozens of hours, possibly flown thousands of miles and potentially offered hundreds of millions of dollars trying to sign two Midwestern boys they believe could change the future of the franchise.

They could be introducing Zach Parise or Ryan Suter as a centerpiece of their rebuilding project — or they could have signed both the New Jersey Devils forward and the Nashville Predators defenseman in a coup that shook up the hockey world. Or, they could be moving on to other plans as an anxious fan base wonders what went wrong.

As dangerous as it can be to affix so much significance to offseason moves, the Wild have been planning for this summer’s free-agent sweepstakes for so long, it’s clear they view the moment as a possible turning point.

They have nearly $19 million of cap space this summer and have talked publicly about wanting to add proven NHL players to their promising group of prospects. Privately, people familiar with the situation have said the Wild will not be outspent in what they offer Parise — a Minneapolis native who played high school hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. And they’ll be nearly as aggressive in chasing Suter, the University of Wisconsin product who could give them the top-end defenseman they’ve sought for several years.

It’s rare that players of this caliber reach the NHL free-agent market at the same time, and it’s even rarer for the Wild to be in position to chase them. Starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 1, they’ll have their chance to go get them — or figure out what to do in the event they don’t succeed.

“You can’t control what happens on July 1,” general manager Chuck Fletcher said. “You can have your list. You can have your game plan. You can do a great job with presenting your situation. But the players have earned the right on July 1 to choose where they want to go.”

SALES PITCH READY

It’s long been hoped that the Wild could have an in with both players because of their roots. Parise has a house in the Twin Cities and his parents live in the area, while Suter’s wife is from Bloomington and his father Bob still lives in his hometown of Madison, Wis. But the Wild will have to make a sharp sales pitch, especially when teams like Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh have the money to pursue one or both players.

People familiar with the situation have said the Wild’s strategy will be to highlight their young talent — Hockey’s Future ranked the team’s group of prospects the second-best in the league this spring — and try to convince both players to buy into where the team could be three or four years from now, rather than where they’ve been in the last five years, making the playoffs just once as the Red Wings, Penguins, Blackhawks and Kings all hoisted the Stanley Cup.

“Chuck is pretty open about his philosophy,” assistant general manager Brent Flahr said. “A big part of it is drafting well, creating a culture, having cap flexibility with good players already in place and good players ready to step in the door. If you can supplement it with players from the outside, the best is yet to come.”

It also could benefit the Wild that they’re in a position to offer big deals to both players, who have competed against each other in the WCHA, played together for Team USA and shared an agent until last summer. According to people familiar with the situation, Suter could take up to a week to make his decision, and if the Wild can land Parise before that point, they could drastically improve their chances of getting the defenseman.

By all accounts, the Wild’s best play is going to be to point to the future, pay a premium for one or both players, offer them a chance to return to the Midwest and hope for the best. They certainly don’t have the recent success of some of their competitors for either player. But they’re hoping they can change the conversation.

“I really think our best chance to be successful is when our own talent base starts to speak for itself,” Fletcher said. “You start to see the dividends on the ice. That’s when your program can really sell itself. We’re getting there. We’ve certainly made process, but that’s the route we’ve chosen to go.”

FEW OTHER OPTIONS

If the Wild don’t land Suter, they could pursue a couple of other defenseman options. They won’t find any forwards quite like Parise, though.

The 27-year-old scored 31 goals last season after missing most of 2010-11 because of a knee injury and posted a combined 176 points in 2008-09 and 2009-10. While players like the Kings’ Dustin Penner and the Capitals’ Alexander Semin are on the market, Parise’s consistency, work ethic and leadership skills set him apart from the rest of the market.

Minnesota would like to add a defenseman, one way or the other, and Suter is at the top of the team’s list. Players like Philadelphia’s Matt Carle and Florida’s Jason Garrison could hit the market — though the five-year, $26.25 million deal Calgary gave Dennis Wideman last week could mean most defensemen are in line to get big money.

Garrison scored 16 goals with the Panthers last season, but the Wild would have to decide whether he is worth a hefty paycheck after one productive season when he was playing with well-respected defenseman Brian Campbell.

The Wild missed out on a defenseman on Saturday when former Wisconsin standout Justin Schultz told them he wouldn’t be signing with them. Schultz, who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008 and had decided to become a free agent, will sign with the Edmonton Oilers after spurning offers from the Wild and several other teams.

However things work out, Flahr said the Wild won’t be spending their available money on just anyone.

“There are specific players we’re looking at,” he said. “If we can’t get them, we’ll look to build with young players and whatever we can acquire.”

PLAYING IT COOL

While the anticipation over Parise and Suter has sweltered through the Wild’s fan base all spring and summer, the men in charge of the team’s hockey operations are treating free agency as an opportunity, not a make-or-break situation.

That’s consistent with the cool, cerebral approach that has characterized the front office since Fletcher took over in 2009, bringing a philosophy he learned as a teenager sitting in on trade talks and conference calls while his father Cliff was the GM of the Flames.

“I think he understands very well that when you get emotional, and you maybe make rash decisions here and there, that’s not going to turn out to be a very good thing down the road,” said Cliff Fletcher, who still works in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ front office and talks to his son once a week. “As a father, I’m sure proud of him, and I’m sure proud of his career. I believe he’ll get the job done there.”

Chuck Fletcher is fiercely competitive — something Flahr learned quickly while watching games with his boss — but he cloaks his intensity with a sense of detachment, often referring to players as “assets” like his father does and letting time cool his emotions before making decisions.

“It’s the way you have to be,” Flahr said. “It’s an emotional game. It’s an emotional job. In this media age — which is great for some things — a lot of times just one game gets overblown. Chuck thinks through a lot of things before reacting. It’s what you have to do. But to say he’s not emotional is not correct.”

He, and the rest of the Wild’s front office, will have a chance to be bold in the next week. And as they pursue Parise and Suter, the Wild’s fans will wait with anticipation.

“We’re all watching it in hockey, for sure,” Cliff Fletcher said. “You have the two big free agents in the market, and not much else behind them. There’s going to be some tremendous competition for them.

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